Most years, I need a few days to unwind and process after our annual gathering of the Southern Baptist Convention. This year, it may take all summer.
St. Louis was ground zero for one the most eventful, encouraging, and emotionally-charged meetings we’ve seen in recent years, from debate over the Confederate Flag to issues of religious liberty for all Americans, and of course, the unprecedented outcome of the presidential race. On the first ballot, J.D. Greear, pastor of the Summit Church in Raleigh, NC had the most votes, but not the required 50%. On the second ballot, a run-off between the top two candidates, Steve Gaines, pastor of Bellevue Baptist in Memphis, TN had the higher tally, but did not cross the 50% threshold due to 108 disqualified ballots which are counted in the total, but not assigned to either candidate.
The razor-thin closeness of the vote and the news we would have an unusual third vote on Wednesday morning alarmed many of us. The situation seemed to be turning into a generational referendum that would negatively affect us all, no matter who won. Roughly half of the attendees would leave disappointed and disillusioned, and the winner of the presidency would leave with a cloud over his head, having barely won a majority of messengers.
When I say “generational referendum,” I do not mean to imply that there was an absolute divide generationally. I know older Southern Baptists who supported J. D. Greear and younger Southern Baptists who couldn’t wait to vote for Gaines. But it was clear from the youthful and diverse crowd that this election had galvanized multiple generations of Southern Baptists to make their voice be heard.
Swirling around the generational divide were a number of other differences: vision for the future, methods of outreach, ways of supporting SBC causes, and different theological emphases. Messengers most heavily invested in the ongoing Calvinist vs. Traditionalist debate saw the election primarily in terms of a battle between the Charleston or Sandy Creek streams of Baptist identity.
I barely slept Tuesday night. I was concerned that the closeness of this election might lead to the fracturing of the SBC along several different fault lines: generational, theological, or methodological. To return to the years of closely contested elections would throw us back into rancorous, political debates that would overshadow our common confession and distract us from our common mission.
Most concerning to me was the generational divide. If Gaines won, I worried that younger Southern Baptists might feel disillusioned and disengaged. If Greear won, I worried that older Southern Baptists might feel alienated and pushed to the side. Either scenario would lead to increasing ineffectiveness and would overshadow the main reason we gather – not to elect a president to push forward any agenda, but to worship our King as we cooperate in mission for the sake of His kingdom.
Then, the distress of Tuesday night gave way to the beauty of Wednesday morning. In a hall packed with messengers ready to vote for a third time, J. D. Greear withdrew his candidacy, pledged his support and prayed for Gaines. There was an audible gasp throughout the hall when Greear made the announcement, but then a rumbling of applause followed by a standing ovation for both of these men, for Gaines as our new president, and for Greear for laying down his aspiration for the sake of unity. Humility diffused the tension, and the Convention concluded in unity.
The Apostle Paul told Timothy,
“Let no one despise your youth; instead, you should be an example to the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”
Paul issued that command in a culture that idolized old age and sneered at youthfulness. In our culture today, the reverse is often true. Paul would probably tell the younger generation to not look down on our older brothers and sisters in the faith.
Condescension toward the previous generation was frequent among young church leaders in the 1980’s and 90’s, when the contemporary church movement was all the rage. We’ve seen a similar spirit brashness and arrogance among some of the young, restless and Reformed. The wide gap between those two movements indicates that the tendency to look down on those who have gone before us is more a mark of age than of theology.
On the other hand, a sense of entitlement can easily entangle the older generations, where older leaders find it hard to relinquish control or pass the baton due to a curmudgeonly faithlessness in what God may be doing in and through next generation. It grieves me to read comments online that betray an accusatory and suspicious mindset toward the actions of younger leaders.
Neither the arrogant actions of young people nor the entitled attitudes of older people are the way of Jesus. Thankfully, the only person who “won” last week was the Holy Spirit who had His way among us and granted us the grace to see what statesmanship and stewardship looks like.
It’s astonishing that both Gaines and Greear were ready to withdraw and defer for the sake of unity. But I’m glad it was J.D. Greear who stepped aside. His example communicated to all generations of Southern Baptists that younger leaders stand ready to receive with grace the stewardship of this great Convention and that our mission is more important than any man.
And so, a close election that could have descended into the darkness of unnecessary dissension became instead a shining display of deference. To anyone who may be disappointed in the outcome, let me encourage you to take a good, long look at this situation and see in it the hand of God granting us grace and unity for God’s mission. It’s never about winning and losing an election, but winning people for Jesus and losing our lives for the sake of His kingdom.
Good days are ahead, and I’m thankful that God has raised up men like Steve Gaines and J. D. Greear to lead the way.
